The Clarence Tunnel is a

railway tunnel Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

that was originally part of the

Main Western railway line The Main Western Railway (or Great Western Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Blue Mountains (Australia), Blue Mountains, and Central West, New South Wales, Central West regions. It is long, of which ...

across the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. It is long.

History and description

The tunnel, located to the west of Clarence, was built by William Watkins and opened on 18 October 1869. The tunnel is almost entirely straight apart from a curve at the Clarence end and is the highest railway tunnel in Australia. The tunnel was closed on 16 October 1910, after being by-passed by a new deviation. After the tunnel's closure, it was utilised for growing mushrooms. In 1944, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

(RAAF) stockpiled chemical munitions in the tunnel. The facility was known as ''No. 4 Sub Depot'' of ''No. 1 Central Reserve RAAF'' and was vacated by the RAAF in 1946. The tunnel was reopened in 1975 and forms part of the Zig Zag tourist railway.

References

{{Authority control Railway tunnels in New South Wales Buildings and structures in the Blue Mountains (New South Wales) Tunnels completed in 1869 1869 establishments in Australia Main Western railway line, New South Wales